Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-04-19
The Interstate Commerce Commits
siOners Tell the People Some
thing About the New Law.
The Idea OF Asking the COntnissiOn II
Railway Companies Can Do.This or
That, RiGtcGIcusIy Absurd.
actual Complaints Must be Made Before
The Commission Can Do Anything save
Suspend Section Four.
INTERSTATE COMMERCE.


taken by the inter state commerce com
missionerS. The immediate matters Sc
lected, to which append the opinions of
the commission, only affect the interests
of limited classes, but the opinions
themselves cover in important respects
the Interpretation of Interstate commerce
and the determination respecting the ex-
tent of thu pOwe with which the com
mission deems itself charged, and as ap-
proved by the immense correspondence
OF the commission, are Of interest to al
most every board OF trade or commerce
in the laud. Following is a text of
ruling of the Interstate commission:
WASHINGTON, April l6.-In the matter
of the petition of the Order of Railway
Conductors; in the matter of.the petition
of Traders and Travellers Unions.
An application in writing has been
made to the commission fol its answer to
the following questions, propOunded in
behalf of the Order of Railway Con
duCtors:
l. Are railway companies prohibited
from issuing free transportation to the
immediate families of employees OF their
own railway?
= Are railway companies pro ibited
from issuing free or reduced transpo-ta-
ton 10 the officers Of associations COM
posed exclusively Of railway employees,
while those officers are temporarily out
OF the railway service aad exclusively
employed by those associations?
). May railway companies issue 8 pass
to M emplOye of another railway ON ap-
plicaUon Of the employe, Cr must such
application come from tue office of the
o., nv NJ h. &c =
/ May railway companies issue free
or reduced transportation 70 those who
make railway service their business OF.
trade while temporarily cut employment
and IL search Of situation?
). May railway companies provide free
transportation for delegates TO annual
conventions of n association composed
exclusively Of railway employees upon
certificates from Officers Of the associa-
liOn that they are their representatives?
IS. II free transportation may be fur
niShed ~ REPRESENTATIVES described in
question ), raust all such representatives
be actually in tla employ OF u railroad or
may it inciude those who may be tenn
pOrarii7 OUT of employment and those
temporarily engaged in other employ
ments as officers Of such associations?
Z. IT free spOrtatiODls provided for
delegates described in question 3, may it
include the members o. the immediate
families OF the delegates?
8. If free transportation or reduced
rates are provided for the representatives
Of any one ass0Cia ion, must the same be
extended to all Others which are com
posed exclusively Of railway employees or
application?
Another application has been made to
the commission in behalf of the Traders
and Travellers Union, stating the system
under which an additional allowance OF
free baggage has been heretofore carried
by commercial travellers subject to writ
ten agreement for registry aud indemnif-
cation, which system the commission is
to examine carefully and adj
wise US if there is any reason why s. rail-
road company desiring to do so should
not enter into such an arrangement to
grant under stated terms an increased
allowance of free baggage.
These two petitions, presented by
highly respectable organizations and rails
ing questions Of immediate practical i'm
pOrtance, are representatives of large
number Of similar applications which
have been made to the commission for ITS
Of provisions of the act to
~
points. These have been selected simply
as they indicate the general character of
ali. and enable the commission TO an
nouuce certain conclusions to which it
has arrived respecting its Jurisdiction and
its powers. lis obvious from the tenor of
such applications as these, which reach
Us by every mail, that the impression is
generally prevalent that this commission
has the power to COnstrue, interpret and
apply the law by preliminary judgment.
We are continually appealed to for de-
ciSiOns in advance as TO whether common
carriers said to be willing to adopt certain
methods of dealing with respect to inte-
state commerce, can do SO without SUB
jecting themselves to the penalties pro-
Vided by statute for violating its pro
visions. A careful reading of
"the act TO, regulate commerce."
under which this commission
is organized will show to the petitioners
and others who have made similar appH-
cations that no jurisdiction mas been
given Us to answer questions like these
under consideration. Au expression of
our opinion upon these subjects at this
time being neither g duty imposed nor
power conferred by stature, would carry
with it no judicial efficacy or sanction, in
fact would be no more useful 10 the puo-
lie or to the carriers than the opinion of
other men upon the same points.
Two sections of the law confer
the power upon the commission to enter
taia and decide applications and peti-
tioas, and section I empowers Us upon
application By common carriers to author
ize such common carriers in special
cases to charge less for longer than fer
shorter distances over the same lines,
and also TO prescribe the extent of relief
from the operation Of the former part of
the same section, which thu designated
common carrier may from time to time
enjoy. a large number of petitions have
been fled under this section, the consid-
GRAFTON OF which is at this time en-
gazing the attention of the commission.
Continued on FoTEth Page.